Friday, October 31, 2008

It's been a while. I guess I needed to take a little break. My little brain just needed a rest.A lot has happened since I last spoke with you:We played Saturday the 18th in Darien, CT for a private party. I was a pretty good gig. The folks were partaying!The following Sunday I played Atkins Park in Smyrna for their outdoor music series. No real report - played my 45 minutes, ate, then left. Then, the following Tuesday & Wednesday I started Lucas Miré's new record. Mark Cobb played drums on Wednesday night. He rocked it. THen the next day I spent mixing Brian WIltsey's new record. I was supposed to play Friday in Augusta but the gig was cancelled - due to lack of interest I guess. It's okay - that's a long way to drive for one gig with no guarantee. The next day I played with Chris Hicks & friends in Macon, GA. Marcus Henderson turned me on to some pretty good Indian food that night. Also the show was really good. I played a set between Abby Owens & Chris Hicks. Pretty Much for this past week I've been playing & finishing Lucas Miré's record. It was preproduced, performed, & mixed in 6 days. I love it when a plan comes together. Today is Halloween & Michelle & I had a great day together. We went to see "Zack & Miri Make a Porno." It's Kevin Smith's new movie. He's finally come back to form.We also went to a Halloween costume party tonight. I hate parties. Everyone seemed to be having fun though.I'll try to do better at writing this thing. I just needed a little time off.

Friday, October 17, 2008

I got some crazy good sleep last night! I was needed. I'm taking that deep breath before the plunge. I have four gigs, a record to start (Lucas Miré), & a record to start mixing (Brian Wiltsey) this week - all by Saturday the 25th. I spent a couple hours on the phone working details for a record in December. I also spent some time doing a little preproduction on Lucas' record for Tuesday. Keith & I left Anderson at 4pm. We stopped by the Whole Foods in Greenville to pick up $100 worth of sushi for the bus. Every bit of it was gone in 20 minutes after our departure from Spartanburg. We have a 12 hour ride to Stamford, CT. No sports on tonight. A strange set of events led us to watch 'Alien' & 'Evil Dead' on DVD. Bruce Campbell was a youngin when he made that movie. I'm ready to crash again.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Keith Glenn, Marshall Tucker's front of house engineer, & I rolled out of our bunk around 6:30am. We jumped in my Jeep & rolled down the highway to Anderson, SC. We settled in his den for a few hours nap. History Channel's Lincoln was on. It's great sleep fodder. We spent the day searching pawn shops & shopping at a few different grocery stores for dinner supplies. Keith made a bunch of great food tonight. It's the most that I've eaten in a couple of weeks. I'm just enjoying this week of time off.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

I got up at 3:30am. The bus picked me up at the warehouse in Spartanburg at 4:30am. We didn't leave until 5:20am. I didn't pass out until 6am. That's not much sleep in prime sleep time. I did, however, sleep the entire trip to Newport News, VA. We stayed in the Omni hotel. I'm a big fan... especially of the restaurant downstairs. I made the final touches to my new National Tricone resonator. Lots of tiny adjustments... but it's perfect now. I also made a gaggle of phone calls today. I did some reading & some relaxing as well. Sometimes these short runs don't give you ample time for sleep. Our show tonight was possibly the best that we've ever played. Everything was perfect: the sound, the playing, the singing, & more than anything the flow of the set. I love my 50 watt Two Rock Custom Reverb Signature. Thanks, Johnny-boy. Short drive again tonight. Not much sleep. See you tomorrow.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

I dropped Michelle off at Nicole Jurovic's house. She baby sat her daughter while Nicole & I attended the NARAS board meeting. It was a really good meeting. Things are looking for the Atlanta Chapter of NARAS. A lot of good things on the horizon. I dropped off Nicole & traded her for Michelle. We, again, ran a handful of errands. I spent most of the afternoon on the phone.We also had dinner with our next door neighbors at Agave. I love that place. They had their 8th anniversary tonight. Every entree was $8. What a deal!After dinner we loaded up the Jeep & I drove to Spartanburg. I checked into the Best Western on Highway 9. I'll have to be up in 3 hours to catch the bus at the warehouse.

Monday, October 13, 2008

We had lunch with Michelle's parents today. We ran another pocket full of errands. The big deal today was our Home Owner's Association meeting. Michelle serves as the Secretary for the HOA board.Nothing musical to report. I've been tooling around on my baritone ukulele. I'm starting to like the simplicity of it.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

I rolled into the driveway around 5:30am. I apparently woke Michelle up pretty well on my way in. She talked my ear off until she got out of the bed at 7am. I copped a half a wink until she woke me up to shower for brunch. We ran a few errands.I worked on my new National Tricone resonator guitar. I installed a pickup in it while I watched the Falcons beat the Bears. They look really good - just waiting for the other show to drop over here. It's always the way. We had dinner at one of our neighbors house. I'm constantly surprised at the closeness of this community. It's very comforting knowing that Michelle has so many friends she can depend on whilst I'm away from home.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

When I poked my head out in the front lounge, I noticed that we were 10 miles from Atlanta. We stopped for breakfast & then it was business as usual. We landed at the hotel around 2pm - rain & all. The sky peeked out from behind the clouds for a couple of hours but we were ultimately rained out. It took the promoter an hour & a half of constant rain to make the call to cancel the show. I suspect he was a little drunk & just wanted to see a show - whether the weather was good or not. Oh well - on our way home...PS The Dawgs looked okay. I'll take the W. No style points though.

Friday, October 10, 2008

It was a day to get things done & relax. I was lucky enough to have a Golden Corral across the street. It made it easy to get vegetables for lunch & dinner. Normally we're limited to a small number for fast food joints. I spent a great deal of the day finalizing recording details for Lucas Miré. We'll be starting his alum later this month. THe bus left the hotel at 8pm. We played at the Marshall Civic Center for a benefit for burn victims. It was a good set. I didn't have much energy. I guess it's because if the change to my diet. We have a 14 hour trip tonight. It's very much like our run last week, just a couple of hours shorter. I'm pretty spent.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

We left the hotel at 7:30am this morning. We went back to LaGuardia airport. Traffic was eerily calm. We all forgot that today was Yom Kippur. We got to the airport so early that after David & I dropped off the guys at the terminal, dropped off the rental cars (which takes forever at LaGuardia), checked in at ticketing, & ate breakfast - we still had 2 hours until the flight left. Our travels took us through the Charlotte airport - which we've seen at least 5 times in the past 2 months. It's one of my faves. Finally, after two painless flights, Jimmy picked us up at baggage claim at the Houston airport. We still had a 5 hour drive ahead of us though. The best part about the drive tonight was the network TV: NLCS game 1, new season of CSI, & debut episode of Life on Mars. I like Life on Mars - it's really, really different. I know it's a remake of a British show, but it's still good. We had the game on in the back lounge & the crime dramas on up front. I toggled from back to front for most of the night. We checked into the Marshall, TX LaQunita Inn around 10pm CST. It is one of the worst rooms that we've stayed in - in a long time... as far as cleanliness. I'm a little suspect to lay my head down on this pillow. Well, I guess I'm still a relatively healthy young man - & whatever doesn't kill me will make me stronger. It's a good thing that I don't live in a plastic bubble.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

I was up, showered, fed, packed, & driving to the airport by 7am. We were lucky enough to have a direct flight to LaGuardia airport. Almost every trip we've taken this year has required a stop over or a layover. Chris Hicks didn't make the flight. He had a little miscommunication happen over the flight details. He thought out flight was at 11:15am instead of 9:30am. Whoops!We got in our rental car & I pulled out my GPS & the Atlanta Rat Pack (sans Chris Hicks) was off to Melville, NY. It was an easy drive - 30 minutes, minimal traffic, & we were there. I slept for 4 hours today in the hotel room. Then it was off to the gig. We took rental vans to this gig because our bus is on it's way to Houston, TX (where he'll pick us up tomorrow). Our set was pretty good. Marcus Henderson got a new flute while we were home. I could actually hear a difference on stage. He also seemed to be more confident blowing this one than his other one. The most memorable thing about today was Dickie Betts. We opened up for him. I just can't get over how good his guitar sounds. It's 2 50 watt Marshalls & 2 4x12 cabs. That's it. No pedals - no nothing. Sure, he's loud - but in a good way. Man it sounded good - & clean. Most guitarists think 50 watt Marshall & loud & automatically think distorted. It sounded like classic Dickie.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

After a late night in the studio & a long ramp down time, I didn't get to sleep until late. However, I had to be up by 9:30am. Supposedly, our alarm company guy was supposed to show between 10am-noon. He didn't show until 2:15pm. I also made a a trip to Decatur to Pete Olson's house to pick up a PA for Michelle for a party this weekend. I played a last minute gig at JCT tonight. The crowd was a little sparse due to the presidential debate & the fact that it was TUESDAY! Oh well. The people who showed up got a good show. The acoustics on their patio are quite amazing. The sound bounces off of the building across the train tracks and has this amazing natural reverb. I'm sure once people move into said building they'll discontinue music on the patio. I'm tired. Early - long day tomorrow.Peace!

Monday, October 6, 2008

I got in around 4am. However, I couldn't fall asleep until 6am. I at least got 3+ hours on the bus en route. Michelle & I took off for Snellville by 11:30am. We went & had lunch with her parents & then picked a couple of things up. One of the things was a new (formerly broken) chair for our bedroom. She bought it broke & her step father repaired it. What a deal!After we put it upstairs I headed to the studio for an evening of Brian Wiltsey. We finished tracking tonight I can't wait to finished this record completely. I'm guessing it will only take 2 days to mix. It's going to be really good. I'm tired. This new life of clean living (no grease, no caffeine, no sugar, no meat [for now], & reasonable quantities) is great for sleeping but bad for stamina. Above is the chemical formula for caffeine.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

What a great, laid back day. I spent most of the day in the room recouping from the week & preparing for the next. I've been jumping back to my old diet: granola for breakfast, soup for lunch, & veggies for dinner. This weekend was rather conducive for that diet. The bus left the hotel at 6pm for the Charlotte Convention Center. We played a private party for a NC realty group. I would assume that they needed a little pepping up after the past 2 years. The set was actually very valid. I love to play on my own gear. It's been more of a luxury this year than in previous years. I should be home by 4am if I had to guess. The Red Sox just lost game three of their ALDS. They still have two more chanced to get it done. I better get some shut eye while we jaunt down 85 south.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

We were supposed to play this gig last week. They had an amazing storm system run through here on Friday so they postponed it until this week. I woke up & we were rolling through Alabama. Somewhere shy of Georgia my Uncle started driving - which is scary if you've ever have witnessed it. He turned the controls back over to Jimmy 50 north of Atlanta. We slid into the hotel parking lot with an hour to spare. The bus left for the gig promptly at 6:30pm. We played a 2 & a half hour set tonight. Every one was on. We had a couple of folks sit in with us tonight too. It was great. I'm glad Denver Days was just postponed & not cancelled. This has been a weekend of constant travel (until tonight) & light work.

Friday, October 3, 2008

I woke up with the bus in the hotel parking lot. I must've needed serious sleep. I drank the remainder of the 'detox juice' & around 1pm made my way to Cracker Barrel with Marcus Henderson. I had soup & green beans. It was the greatest tasting food that I've ever had in my entire life. However, I think my judgement was a bit skewed. We played Houston Raceway Park tonight. Blackfoot played before us. They were much better than I had remembered. They were without Ricky Medlock - he's with Skynyrd now. We play with them about once a year I guess. Our set was great. I had my rental Fender Deluxe Reverb running about as hot as it would go. I love big, outdoor stages. You can turn up & it's not too loud.Well, we have a 15 hour trip ahead of us. See you in Charlotte.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

A full night's sleep last night. A FULL NIGHT'S SLEEP. Anyway, I bummed around almost all day. I made a ton of phone calls, corrected a ton of web stuff, & drank detox juice. I broke the day up by going to Atlanta Pro Audio & picking up a few things (a repaired mic & a Radial SGDI). Michelle walked a bunch of dogs today & I walked Charlie. Outside of that, I really don't remember anything else. I was at the airport by 9pm waiting for the bus. I caught the end of the VP debate. I was actually surprised at Palin's veracity. I'm tired & I want to go to bed. See you in Houston.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Michelle & I had Chick-fil-a for breakfast. Then we picked up the boys from her Mom's house in Snellville. We made our way home with nothing to do for the rest of the day. There's a bit of a gas shortage in Atlanta for the past two weeks. My Saturn was out of gas in our driveway. I noticed that our local gas station was serving again. So I got home & changed cars to fill up. After that I went to Arden's Garden in Little Five Points & picked up two 'doses' of her detox drink.The 2 day detox program is 2 gallons a piece of a citrus mixture. We started it today at noon. I can't eat ANYTHING until Friday at noon. You drink an 8 oz. serving every hour & can have all of the water that you want. We'll see how this goes. I got an itch tonight to play some bass on Brian Wiltsey's album. So I spent 3 hours doing that tonight (for 4 songs). I'm starting to lose some steam. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

About Me

I'm a musician. I like things that have anything to do with good music. I spend my 'work' time engineering & producing music, touring & playing music on stage, & writing some of my own 'work.' I have the 2nd best 'job' in the world. #1 belonging to a STUD HORSE.